For those of you who are looking to get the Android 5.1 today not tomorrow, this tutorial will show you how to update your Nexus 4, 5, 6, 9, or 10 to the latest Android 5.1 and root it.

UPDATE: Also works for Android M Preview but DO NOT install SuperSU as you will soft brick! (Cannot root M Preview atm.)

Android 5.1 comes with some nice performance/ram tweaks to make your Nexus device a bit faster plus cool features like drop-down WiFi/Bluetooth menus and more!

*Note – This method works for all Nexus devices and also works for other versions of firmware such as KitKat.

Who this tutorial is for:

For people with a rooted Nexus device who want to update to Android 5.1 with root.

For people who want Android 5.1 and root and have a custom ROM on rooted Nexus device.

For people who want to install latest Android 5.1 bootloader and radios. (Could make your network faster/better, get better signals.)

This method WILL NOT ERASE ANYTHING on your Nexus device. If you are already on a stock firmware/ROM, you can skip the “Wipe/Factory Reset” step in the video, it will simply upgrade you to latest Android 5.1 + root. If you are on custom ROM, you will probably have to do a “Wipe/Factory Reset” so backup your ROM and/or apps using Titanium Backup app FIRST!

Before we begin, we assume you already have an unlocked bootloader on your Nexus device. If you don’t know what this is, you probably shouldn’t be following this tutorial.

fastboot.zip – This contains all the fastboot files you need for all Windows, Mac, or Linux. You DO NOT NEED to download the whole Android SDK, we just saved you an hour downloading the SDK, this is ALL YOU NEED!

Android USB Drivers – For Mac or Linux, YOU DO NOT NEED DRIVERS. For Windows, you will need Android USB drivers, please see video tutorial on how to install these drivers.

I may have found the solution. Using the Nexus Root Toolkit, I went into Advanced Utilities and selected the System option under Fastboot Flash. My phone is rebooting right now and optimizing all the apps.
I’ll let you know how it all went

hi i updated yesterday and everything was fine but radios
i used to get more signal on wifi and cellular and also when i am on the phone sound qualty was so bad
so i went to recovery did wipe ( dalvik/cache/internal storage) and factory reset
i am stupid yes stupid and brick my phone
what ever i do flash a custom rom or try to reflash ota update no chance after boot image i get stuck on black screen
i need help please

Hi from Ukraine. I followed all the instructions in the video. File “system.img” established successfully. Stuck on the installation file UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.37 (I was on stock firmware and have no custom recovery so i couldn’t install this file). What should I do next to get Root on my Nexus 5, help me with advice please.